Ancient European Skulls Reveal When Humans First Began Drinking Milk

October 23, 2014 11:15 AM

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When did we first begin being able to drink milk? That's a good question--and you may be surprised by the answer. Scientists have found that ancient Europeans remained intolerant to lactose for 5,000 years after they adopted agricultural practices, and 4,000 years after the onset of cheese-making among Central European Neolithic farmers.

In order to better understand the dietary requirements of these ancient people, the scientists examined nuclear ancient DNA extracted from 13 individuals from burials from archaeological sites located in the Great Hungarian Plain. This region was known to have been a major crossroads of cultural tra...